February 28, 2010

chicken piccata

My dad and I have a special relationship; according to him, I mooch off of all of his recipes, and "have some nerve!" I forgotto give him credit for his tuna and beans (which, a year later, he has yet to stop reminding me)... so I will say this; my dad can take full credit for this dish. And boy, once I have a bite (or two) of it I have no shame in admitting it.

This week, my mom misread her online shopping-cart and accid

entally overdosed on chicken breasts from Fresh Direct, realizing only when she was opening the package that she ordered 3 times as much as she intended. Ergo, my dad's pork piccata becomes chicken piccata. And boy, do I hope you guys like chicken, because we have enough to feed a family of 4 (or easily just us two girls) and a whole bookshelf full of cookbooks.

This dish is like a kicked-up, lighter version of chicken piccata with a more fresh tasting sauce than the normal dish (which we happily scraped from the pot until it was completely bare). I was convinced that I overcooked the chicken (skinless, boneless chicken breasts-which I have a habit of drying out) and was completely surprised to find it be the moistest chicken breast I have ever had. Foolproof? I think so. Delicious? Oh. My. God.

1/4 cup chopped shallots (I used onions, as that was what was on hands. Both ways work fabulously)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided

2 teaspoons capers

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium.*